wcc. world council of churcheshttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/taxonomy/term/5423/all
enIsraeli action on WCC leadership 'unjust, discriminatory and misinformed'http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23615
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_end --><div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>In a statement following Israeli authorities’ detention, interrogation and deportation of the World Council of Churches Associate General Secretary Prof Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri upon arrival in Tel Aviv, the WCC ”deeply regrets the Israeli antagonism against the WCC’s initiatives for peace with justice for both Palestinians and Israelis.”</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>In a statement issued on 6 December 2016, following Israeli authorities’ detention, interrogation and deportation of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Associate General Secretary Prof Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri upon arrival in Tel Aviv, the WCC ”deeply regrets the Israeli antagonism against the WCC’s initiatives for peace with justice for both Palestinians and Israelis.”</p>
<p>Phiri was travelling to attend consultations with church leaders in Jerusalem on the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), one of the many programmes and activities supported by the WCC globally.</p>
<p>Noting that Phiri was the only African member of the WCC staff delegation, the only one denied entry, and that the reason given for her deportation was “Prevention of illegal immigration considerations”, the WCC has instructed its legal representatives to immediately lodge an appeal against “this patently unjust and discriminatory action against Phiri.”</p>
<p>“The accusations made against the WCC and the EAPPI programme in the interrogation of Dr Phiri and published in the media today are completely false” said WCC General Secretary the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit. “I am very surprised and dismayed that the Israeli Ministry of Interior is apparently basing its decisions on incorrect and unreliable sources.”</p>
<p>Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI )is a concrete response to an appeal to the World Council of Churches from church leaders in Jerusalem in 2002. They wrote in a letter: “We would respectfully request protection of all people in order to assist the re-establishment of mutual trust and security for Israelis and Palestinians. Further, we would call on all peace-loving people from around the world to come and join us in a manifestation for just peace”.</p>
<p>Over 70 churches, ecumenical bodies and specialised ministries in 22 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and Latin America actively participate in the programme. Almost 1,800 accompaniers have participated.</p>
<p class="Body">* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p class="Body">* World Council of Churches <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en" title="http://www.oikoumene.org/en">http://www.oikoumene.org/en</a></p>
<p class="Body">[Ekk/4]</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
EqualityPeace and NonviolenceNews BriefdetentionEAPPIisraelisrael-palestinejust peacewcc. world council of churchesWorld NewsWed, 07 Dec 2016 09:50:21 +0000agency reporter23615 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukReligous leaders lead by example on HIV testinghttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23606
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_end --><div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>Religious leaders are getting tested for HIV in hopes of inspiring others across the world to seek testing, too. Increasing the number of people receiving HIV testing is vitally important in the effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>Religious leaders are getting tested for HIV in hopes of inspiring others across the world to seek testing, too. Increasing the number of people receiving HIV testing is vitally important in the effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.</p>
<p class="Body">Less than half of people living with HIV know their HIV status, according to UNAIDS. Some do not know the facts about HIV transmission or treatment; others do not have access to the test.</p>
<p class="Body">But many are afraid of the stigma they may encounter just by getting tested – a stigma the World Council of Churches (WCC) is hoping to lift with the campaign 'Leading by Example: Religious Leaders and HIV Testing'. The campaign begins today (1 December) – World AIDS Day&nbsp;– with a morning prayer service at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland.</p>
<p class="Body">“To end HIV and AIDS, we have to overcome the stigma of HIV testing,” said Francesca Merico, HIV campaign coordinator for the WCC-EAA. “By getting tested for HIV, you aren’t making a statement about morality – you’re taking care of your health.”</p>
<p class="Body">As of June 2016, 18.2 million people – less than half of people living with HIV&nbsp;–&nbsp; were receiving treatment, according to UNAIDS.</p>
<p class="Body">At the Ecumenical Centre, WCC invites the community to visit an exhibit of banners depicting religious leaders who are promoting HIV testing by getting tested themselves. The World Health Organisation will offer a demonstration of an HIV self-test, and free self-test kits will be available.</p>
<p class="Body">“Come worship, come visit the exhibit and, most important, make a commitment to get tested”, said Merico. “Together, we will lift the stigma in a spirit of unity, acceptance and caring&nbsp;– for ourselves and for each other.”</p>
<p>“When I go to see my doctor I get tested for high blood pressure, diabetes, and many other things. So why should I not be tested for HIV?” said the&nbsp; Rev. Dr Nyambura Njoroge, coordinator of the WCC Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy. “Faith leaders have a lot of influence in the community. We are leaders. I am hoping that many religious leaders will go for testing, and that people in the congregations will also follow,” she adds.</p>
<p>Worldwide, churches, communities, families, and individuals can join the effort by accessing an online order of service and by making a commitment to get tested.</p>
<p>Materials from the WCC-EAA are designed for religious leaders and others to use in sermons or in other forums to share accurate information about HIV testing.</p>
<p>"Set aside an HIV testing Sunday each month, or an HIV testing week or month each year," suggested Merico. "Share your efforts with the media. Tweet about the importance of HIV testing using #KnowYourStatus. Instagram your faith leader supporting HIV testing."</p>
<p>Speakers at the campaign launch will include:</p>
<p>Pradeep Kakkattil, director, UNAIDS Executive office<br />Dr Rachel Baggaley, coordinator, HIV Prevention and Testing, World Health Organisation Stanley Noffsinger, director, Office of the General Secretariat, World Council of Churches<br />Dr Mwai Makoka, programme executive, Health and Healing, World Council of Churches<br />Francesca Merico, HIV campaign coordinator, World Council of Churches Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance</p>
<p class="Body">* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p class="Body">* World Council of Churches <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en" title="http://www.oikoumene.org/en">http://www.oikoumene.org/en</a></p>
<p class="Body">[Ekk/4]</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Beliefs and ValuesEqualityNews BriefEcumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA)HIVreligious leadersstigmawcc. world council of churchesWorld NewsThu, 01 Dec 2016 09:49:45 +0000agency reporter23606 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukWCC executive committee issues statement on climate justice http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23594
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_end --><div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>While meeting in Nanjing and Shanghai, China, from 17-23 November 2016 , the World Council of Churches executive committee issued a Statement on Climate Justice that reiterates the urgent concerns of churches in relation to climate change, and calls on all states to fulfill the commitments of the Paris Agreement.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p class="Body">While meeting in Nanjing and Shanghai, China, from 17-23 November 2016 , the World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee issued a Statement on Climate Justice that reiterates the urgent concerns of churches in relation to climate change, and calls on all states to fulfill the commitments of the Paris Agreement.</p>
<p class="Body">The Paris agreement, adopted at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in December 2015, has come into legal effect after a rapid ratification process in which both China and the United States of America joined. The Paris Agreement commits countries to keeping the global temperature rise to below 2° Celsius, making every effort to limit the rise to the lower threshold of 1.5°.</p>
<p class="Body">The WCC executive committee statement acknowledges and welcomes the example offered by the government of China in its ratification of the Paris Agreement, and “in leading the world in investing in development of renewable energy.” The statement encourages the government of China to “show further global leadership by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement commitments.”</p>
<p class="Body">The statement also reaffirms the importance of continuing ecumenical advocacy and action for climate justice in the framework of a pilgrimage of justice and peace, and intensified interfaith cooperation for the implementation of the Paris Agreement.</p>
<p class="Body">The WCC executive committee “calls especially on rich industrialised countries to scale up support (including through technology transfer) and to fulfill the commitment to mobilise $100 billion per year for climate change mitigation and adaptation from 2020.”</p>
<p class="Body">The statement also expresses concern at the pledge by US President-elect Donald Trump to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, and calls on the US government to maintain and fulfil the commitments entailed in its ratification of the Paris Agreement.</p>
<p class="Body">Noting that climate change is already having adverse consequences on the very foundations of peoples’ sustenance, water and food, the executive committee statement also welcomes and encourages the work of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network and of the WCC-Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance Food for Life campaign.</p>
<p class="Body">&nbsp;The WCC Executive Committee meet twice a year, monitors ongoing work, approve plans and supervises the budget approved by the Central Committee. This is the first time a WCC governing body has met in the People’s Republic of China .The meeting took place in Shanghai and Nanjing 17-23 November hosted by the China Christian Council and the Three Self Patriotic Movement Committee. The WCC Leadership of the World Council of Churches met on 24&nbsp; November with Minister Wang Zuoan, Director of State Administration for Religious Affairs, in Beijing.</p>
<p class="Body">* Read the WCC statement on climate justice <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/executive-committee/statement-on-climate-justice" target="_blank">here</a></p>
<p class="Body">* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p class="Body">* World Council of Churches <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en" title="http://www.oikoumene.org/en">http://www.oikoumene.org/en</a></p>
<p class="Body">[Ekk/4]</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Beliefs and ValuesLiving EconomyNews Briefclimate changeclimate justiceEcumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA)paris agreementwcc. world council of churchesWorld NewsMon, 28 Nov 2016 08:55:18 +0000agency reporter23594 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukFaith groups march for climate justicehttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23572
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_end --><div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>A lively, youthful and demanding faith group voice of faith was heard clearly in the streets of Marrakech last Sunday (13 November 2016), where a joint group from ACT Alliance, the Lutheran World Federation and the World Council of Churches marched among several thousand activists to demand environmental justice during the UN climate conference COP22.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p class="Body">A lively, youthful and demanding faith group voice was heard clearly in the streets of Marrakech last Sunday (13 November 2016), where a joint group from ACT Alliance, the Lutheran World Federation and the World Council of Churches (WCC) marched among several thousand activists to demand environmental justice during the United Nations (UN) climate conference COP22.</p>
<p class="Body">“One of the most thrilling things was to see the real, dedicated and exultant participation of the groups from Morocco – environmental and social justice groups, women’s groups, farmers, trade unions, human rights workers”, said a participant in the climate march, Joy Kennedy from the Canadian Council of Churches, who is a member of WCC working group on climate change. “They really led, and it felt wonderful to join in and accompany people who were standing in their own space, marching in their own community for the first time like this.”</p>
<p class="Body">International climate groups also participated&nbsp; fully in the march as environmentalists and&nbsp; social justice groups that comprise the movement to decrease dependency on fossil fuels. “Those were the people bringing the messages of other people from all over the world to join the procession. For me it was almost liturgical – honouring the culture, traditions and the spirit of the people whose desire is for peace and freedom, dignity, sustainability and justice. The message I saw throughout the whole parade over and over was about climate justice – it was very clear”, said Kennedy.</p>
<p class="Body">The march drew together different generations of people – there were families and children, old people and young people. “And you could feel the energy of the young people – in their faces, movement, expression. For us, churches, that gave a huge feeling of encouragement – that there is a future we are fighting for, worth struggling and hoping and praying for. We are in the kingdom of Morocco – but we are experiencing the glimpses of what the Kingdom on earth is like.”</p>
<p class="Body">Young African church leaders in the ACT group were participating in creative and competent ways, causing people to smile everywhere they walked. “At first they chanted in English, then in French – it was moderate. But then they were taught to chant “climate justice now” in Arabic and they turned that into singing – people all around in the streets were smiling, laughing and applauding – there was instant resonance”, said Kennedy. “It was like a move of the spirit – it was just incredible. And it gives me hope that the young generations get it and they will make it happen. “</p>
<p class="Body">As churches and faith communities, we know that we need to be in negotiating rooms and strategising rooms&nbsp;– but we also need to be in the streets, said Kennedy, adding that the voice of the participating faith groups was heard well in the streets of Marrakech, as they were singing at the top of their lungs at the end of the procession. “In some ways it is the role of people of faith to come along and clean up the mess left behind. When they were singing ‘We are marching in the light of God,’ everyone could relate to that”, said Kennedy, describing the experience as a marvellous and genuine witness. “It came out of the depth of their souls – you could not help to start singing along with them. That’s real liturgical leadership, where you are just drawn to sing along.”</p>
<p class="Body">The COP 22 climate conference, which took place from 7-15 November in Marrakech, Morocco, gathered 22,000 delegates, observers and civil society representatives from 196 countries. COP22 is regarded as a crucial next step for governments and other parties to operationalise the Paris Climate Change Agreement adopted last year, which came into force just a few days before the conference.</p>
<p class="Body"></p>
<p class="Body">* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p class="Body">* World Council of Churches <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en" title="http://www.oikoumene.org/en">http://www.oikoumene.org/en</a></p>
<p class="Body">[Ekk/4]</p>
<p class="Body"></p>
<p class="Body"></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Beliefs and ValuesLiving EconomyNews BriefACT Allianceclimate justicecop22faith groupsLutheran World Federationwcc. world council of churchesyoung peopleWorld NewsThu, 17 Nov 2016 10:00:25 +0000agency reporter23572 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukWorld Council of Churches strengthens call to end statelessness http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23557
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_end --><div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>Statelessness robs individuals of their identity and their most fundamental human rights, acknowledged a webinar on Global Action Plan to End Statelessness on 4 November 2016. The webinar was organised by World Council of Churches to assess the work achieved since the launch of the #IBelong Campaign to end statelessness by the UNHCR in 2014.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p class="Body">Statelessness robs individuals of their identity and their most fundamental human rights, acknowledged a webinar on Global Action Plan to End Statelessness on 4 November 2016. The webinar was organised by World Council of Churches (WCC) to assess the work achieved since the launch of the #IBelong Campaign to end statelessness by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2014.</p>
<p class="Body">“Without a nationality, a stateless person is excluded from full enjoyment of the rights, freedoms and opportunities to which everyone should be entitled”, said the moderator of the webinar, Peter Prove,&nbsp;director of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs. “They are ‘invisible’, but they are among us – fellow travellers on the pilgrimage of justice and peace whom it is our responsibility to recognise and make visible in our community.”</p>
<p class="Body">Nathan Hosler, director of the Office of Public Witness for the Church of the Brethren (USA), described the advocacy work Church of the Brethren has been doing for several years on statelessness. "Our work on statelessness began through the efforts of the WCC and has continued through our connections with Brethren in the Dominican Republic affected by changed legal status”, said Hosler. “We continue to engage through joint work with ecumenical,&nbsp;interfaith, and NGO partners."</p>
<p class="Body">The webinar was also an opportunity to hear directly from a young stateless woman, Maha Mamo, international relations manager at Agro Betel Live Export from Brazil. “I am a stateless person who never existed!&nbsp; I exist only in the eyes of the people who love me, believe in me. I exist only in my struggle, and also in the eyes of individuals who signed the UNHCR #IBelong Campaign. And I will soon make sure to exist in the legal books of one of these 196 countries all over the world”, said Mamo.</p>
<p class="Body">The WCC has a long history of advocating for the human rights of the most vulnerable, the forgotten, the marginalised ones of our societies. “Stateless people are no exception to this decades-old tradition and the pilgrimage of justice and peace is a further invitation to shed light on their plight and bring them to the centre”, noted Semegnish Asfaw, WCC programme executive for international affairs. “In our advocacy work, we find it important to create opportunities, whenever possible, for stateless people to share personally their stories, struggles and aspirations, and not only speak on their behalf.”</p>
<p class="Body">Radha Govil, legal officer for the UNHCR Statelessness Section, revealed during the webinar that the most important ingredient to eradicating statelessness is political will and it is incumbent on the international community to work together to ensure that statelessness is resolved. “UNHCR looks forward to continuing its fruitful collaboration with the WCC, and to expand its partnerships with faith-based organisations to raise greater awareness and encourage practical action so that together we can end statelessness by the year 2024”, said Govil.</p>
<p class="Body"></p>
<p class="Body">*A video recording of the webinar is available <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ETukOlBkUM&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">here</a></p>
<p class="Body">* Read the WCC Assembly statement on the human rights of stateless people <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/assembly/2013-busan/adopted-documents-statements/human-rights-of-stateless-people" target="_blank">here</a></p>
<p class="Body"></p>
<p class="Body">* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p class="Body">* World Council of Churches <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en" title="http://www.oikoumene.org/en">http://www.oikoumene.org/en</a></p>
<p class="Body">[Ekk/4]</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Beliefs and ValuesEqualityNews Briefhuman rightsjustice and peacestateless peopleUNHCRwcc. world council of churchesWorld NewsThu, 10 Nov 2016 09:47:00 +0000agency reporter23557 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukBan nuclear weapons by law next year says historic UN vote http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23529
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_end --><div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>By a three-to-one margin, the United Nations is authorising negotiations to ban nuclear weapons in 2017.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p class="Body">By a three-to-one margin, the United Nations is authorising negotiations to ban nuclear weapons in 2017.</p>
<p class="Body">The decision caps five years of rising international will to eliminate nuclear weapons because of their catastrophic effects. The UN General Assembly’s First Committee took the decision on 27 October.</p>
<p class="Body">Civil society organisations including the World Council of Churches (WCC) and other religious groups helped mobilise support for the vote.&nbsp;The ban resolution drew strong support across Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. (<a href="http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23508" title="http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23508">http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23508</a>)</p>
<p class="Body">Governments in favour of the ban resolution came under strong negative pressure from nuclear powers, especially the USA and France. NATO countries, plus Japan, South Korea and Australia joined nuclear powers – the USA, Russia, France, UK, Israel and North Korea – in the 38-state minority that voted against negotiating a ban.</p>
<p class="Body">“The 123 nations voting for the ban resolution represent the increasing, worldwide global determination to do what the owners of nuclear weapons have failed to do for decades, namely, to take conclusive steps to eliminate nuclear weapons”, said Peter Prove, director of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs.</p>
<p class="Body">Ecumenical advocates in some 20 countries lobbied for ban negotiations with their governments at home and at the United Nations, now and during the UN nuclear working group that proposed the resolution this year.</p>
<p class="Body">The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) called the UN vote “a major step forward, marking a fundamental shift in the way that the world tackles this paramount threat.”</p>
<p class="Body">“For seven decades, the UN has warned of the dangers of nuclear weapons, and people globally have campaigned for their abolition. Today the majority of states finally resolved to outlaw these weapons”, said Beatrice Fihn, executive director of ICAN. WCC is a member of ICAN.</p>
<p class="Body">Nuclear weapons are the only weapons of mass destruction which have not been subjected to a comprehensive legal ban, as chemical and biological weapons have.</p>
<p class="Body">Support for the new UN resolution reflects this substantial double standard: the nuclear powers’ failure to fulfill their own obligation to get rid of nuclear weapons, and the fact that nuclear weapons exacerbate rather than address major peace and security challenges of the 21st century.</p>
<p class="Body">The General Assembly is scheduled to vote on the nuclear ban resolution in November.</p>
<p class="Body">* ICAN <a href="http://www.icanw.org/" title="http://www.icanw.org/">http://www.icanw.org/</a></p>
<p class="Body">* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p class="Body">* World Council of Churches <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en" title="http://www.oikoumene.org/en">http://www.oikoumene.org/en</a></p>
<p class="Body">[Ekk/4]</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Beliefs and ValuesPeace and NonviolenceNews Brieffaith groupsICANnuclear weaponsnuclear weapons banunited nationswcc. world council of churchesWorld NewsMon, 31 Oct 2016 09:59:20 +0000agency reporter23529 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukWorld Council of Churches congratulates new UN Secretary-Generalhttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23513
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_end --><div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>As António Guterres of Portugal was named the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, the World Council of Churches (WCC) congratulated him on his appointment.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p class="BodyA">As António Guterres of Portugal was named the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, the World Council of Churches (WCC) congratulated him on his appointment. “This is good news for the UN and for all who need the UN to fulfill its important tasks in our time,” wrote WCC General Secretary the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit in a letter to Guterres. “I admire your courage, your clarity, and your true compassion with the suffering peoples in our world.”</p>
<p class="Body">Tveit assured Guterres of WCC’s support and prayers.</p>
<p class="BodyA">“In a time of multiple converging global crises, your experience and wisdom will be greatly needed – perhaps more so now than at any previous time in the history of the United Nations,” wrote Tveit.</p>
<p class="BodyA">The manner in which Guterres fulfilled his mandate as UN High Commissioner for Refugees has been a source of inspiration and motivation for many in the international community and around the world, continued Tveit. “At a time in which the principles of international humanitarian and refugee law and policy - and the UN’s capacity to respond to the dimensions of the forced displacement crisis - have been under unprecedented pressure, you gave principled, energetic and effective leadership to the UN refugee agency.”</p>
<p class="BodyA">Guterres’s humanitarian commitment to alleviating the suffering of the most vulnerable people, in particular refugees and those affected by conflict, and his commitment to gender equality will surely continue to be priorities for him during his tenure wrote Tveit. “And I am certain that your strong commitment to engagement with the faith community, as demonstrated in the UNHCR High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Faith and Protection, will continue to be a feature of your leadership of the United Nations.”</p>
<p class="BodyA">The World Council of Churches has worked for justice and peace alongside and in frequent collaboration with the United Nations since the formation of the respective organisations, Tveit noted. “Through its Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA), the WCC was one of the original non-governmental organisations in consultative relations with the United Nations, and contributed actively to the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to other foundational processes.”</p>
<p class="BodyA">Guterres, formerly prime minister of Portugal, will officially succeed Ban Ki-moon as UN Secretary-General in January 2017.</p>
<p class="Body">* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p class="Body">* World Council of Churches <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en" title="http://www.oikoumene.org/en">http://www.oikoumene.org/en</a></p>
<p class="Body">[Ekk/4]</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Beliefs and ValuesNews BriefAntónio Guterresunited nationsunited nations secretary-generalwcc. world council of churchesWorld NewsMon, 24 Oct 2016 09:11:14 +0000agency reporter23513 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukInterreligious call for nuclear weapons banhttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23492
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_end --><div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>Governments should capitalise on years of growing concern and negotiate a ban on nuclear weapons next year, the World Council of Churches said in an inter-religious call at the United Nations on 12 October.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p class="Default">Governments should capitalise on years of growing concern and negotiate a ban on nuclear weapons next year, the World Council of Churches (WCC) said in an inter-religious call at the United Nations on 12 October. Speaking on behalf of Christian, Buddhist and Muslim organisations, Dr Emily Welty urged delegates to “negotiate a legally-binding instrument prohibiting nuclear weapons”.</p>
<p class="Default">A resolution calling for such a treaty next year was introduced at the disarmament committee of the UN General Assembly, the day she spoke. Welty is vice-moderator of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs.</p>
<p class="Default">Nuclear weapons are “incompatible with the values upheld by our respective faith tradition[s] – the right of people to live in dignity; the commands of conscience and justice; the duty to protect the vulnerable and to safeguard the planet for future generations”, the joint statement said.</p>
<p class="Default">Nuclear weapons are lethal technologies which have been developed without regard for the public conscience and the rule of law, Welty said. They are “the pinnacle of humanity’s self-destructive potential”.</p>
<p class="Default">The inter-faith statement was issued by Pax Christi International, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Soka Gakkai International and other groups as well as the WCC.</p>
<p class="Default"></p>
<p class="Body">* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p class="Body">* World Council of Churches <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en" title="http://www.oikoumene.org/en">http://www.oikoumene.org/en</a></p>
<p class="Body">[Ekk/4]</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Beliefs and ValuesPeace and NonviolenceNews Briefinterreligious actionnuclear disarmamentnuclear weaponsunited nationswcc. world council of churchesWorld NewsFri, 14 Oct 2016 08:55:12 +0000agency reporter23492 at http://www.ekklesia.co.uk'Giving voice to the voiceless' in South Sudan focus of WCC discussion http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23469
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_end --><div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>The World Council of Churches co-organised a discussion in Geneva on 28 September entitled <em>Rebuilding from below: The role of local civil society in South Sudan</em>.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>The World Council of Churches (WCC) co-organised a discussion in Geneva on 28 September entitled <em>Rebuilding from below: The role of local civil society in South Sudan</em>.</p>
<p class="BodyA">“The South Sudanese have the right to peace,” said the Rev Dr Martin Junge, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation.</p>
<p class="BodyA">There are now more than one million South Sudanese seeking refuge, he said, and if any future peace agreement will work, it needs the involvement of multiple civil society actors.</p>
<p class="BodyA">Four panelists and a 100-person audience attempted to define the term “civil society.” Fr James Oyet Latansio, General Secretary of South Sudan Council of Churches, said the church was on the side of the grassroots. “We must give voice to the voiceless”, he said, adding “women are more influential than men. Women are full-time, men are part-time”, which, as well as eliciting a general murmur of amusement, suggested taking a different approach.</p>
<p class="BodyA">John Ashworth, advisor to the WCC on South Sudan, stressed that all players need to be realistic. Civil society, “is weak, young, fragmented…made up of urban elites not in touch with rural people.” He added that the church has a major role in this space and that a third element, “traditional” civil society – tribal chiefs, including elder women – could not be ignored.</p>
<p class="BodyA">Teohna Williams,&nbsp;conflict advisor on&nbsp;South Sudan, said that South Sudan is extremely polarised and politicised and inadvertently, civil society influences or is influenced by a political agenda. Trying to work toward ending violence, she said, can be political in nature, even when not attempting to be so.</p>
<p class="BodyA">The means to securing a ceasefire was a key focus. “If you can stop the killing, it gives a window of opportunity to address peace”, said Ashworth.</p>
<p class="BodyA">Matthias Wevelsiep, right to peace senior advisor of Finn Church Aid, said that international actors need to support civil society toward a ceasefire, but that currently the international community was not holistic in its approach.</p>
<p class="BodyA">Williams shared an anecdote that starkly illustrated the intense difficulty in securing peace. She described a town in which there were “horrific levels of suffering,” and more soldiers than civilians. Community leaders had called a meeting, to which 500 came, including representatives of the government. To reduce tension, it was suggested that opposition troops should be 'cantoned' – the process of placing combatants into a camp where they agree to stay in order to ensure they don't fight. But this in itself risked exacerbating the situation as cantoning can be used to the advantage of one of the parties. So despite seeking a solution, a simple-sounding step can backfire.</p>
<p class="BodyA">Reconciliation also emerged as a key theme. Ashworth noted that reconciliation can not be imposed, and will also take considerable time.&nbsp; He outlined a church-led strategy for consultation with “real grassroots” – echoing James’s earlier point – which would take two to three years. Reconciliation itself, he insisted, would take a further 10-20 years.</p>
<p class="BodyA">Wevelsiep agreed but was also positive that a lasting peace could be achieved. He cited “places elsewhere in Africa where infrastructures for peace are developing”, in Ghana and Liberia, for example.</p>
<p class="BodyA">The need for reconciliation was starkly illustrated by Latansio when he said: “We killed, we raped, we abused – we did everything…but we aim for a blessed peace.” With 64 tribes, reconciliation will always be a great challenge in South Sudan. Nonetheless, he outlined the church’s route to national healing through programmes to promote advocacy, neutral forums and reconciliation. He suggested that South Sudanese society was a pyramid, with what he termed “stakeholders” at the top, “grassroots” at the bottom and in between them, “brokers.” It is this last group that has done so much damage in the past, he maintained. The brokers misled the grassroots about the intentions of the stakeholders and vice versa; the brokers should now be cut out.</p>
<p class="BodyA">Williams asserted: “Many people feel either under significant pressure to do what the government tells them or to leave the country.” She described, however, a situation 18 months ago in a part of the country where thousands had been displaced. One community was thirsting for revenge. But their leaders brought them together and succeeded in dissuading them – arguing that vengeance would only come back to haunt them.</p>
<p class="BodyA">Finally, the notion of justice is clearly contentious in a context such as South Sudan’s. Wevelsiep said there needed to be a “progressive realisation of human rights. The violations of rights are difficult to bear but we also need to come up with solutions that take us to the next level.”</p>
<p class="BodyA">This point was also made by Ashworth, who stated that transitional justice is always a compromise. It is important to focus on sequencing or process, he said, and “justice and accountability should emerge as part of the process.”</p>
<p class="BodyA"></p>
<p class="Body">* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p class="Body">* World Council of Churches <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en" title="http://www.oikoumene.org/en">http://www.oikoumene.org/en</a></p>
<p class="Body">[Ekk/4]</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Beliefs and ValuesPeace and NonviolencePeople and PowerNews Briefcivil societyhuman rightspeacemakingreconciliationsouth sudan council of churchessouth suddenwcc. world council of churchesWorld NewsWed, 05 Oct 2016 08:57:51 +0000agency reporter23469 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukDialogue flourishes between WCC and Muslim Council of Eldershttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23461
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_end --><div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>The Grand Imam of Cairo’s prestigious Al-Azhar mosque and university, Prof. Dr Ahmad al-Tayyeb, is to visit the World Council of Churches to give a public lecture and participate in high-level dialogue on interreligious peacemaking.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>The Grand Imam of Cairo’s prestigious Al-Azhar mosque and university, Prof. Dr Ahmad al-Tayyeb, is to visit the World Council of Churches (WCC) to give a public lecture and participate in high-level dialogue on interreligious peacemaking.</p>
<p class="Body">“We are honoured to welcome one of the world’s highest-ranking and most influential Muslim leaders to Geneva, and I very much look forward to his lecture and to sharing views with him on the many challenges that we as religious persons and leaders face together,” said the WCC General Secretary, the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit.</p>
<p class="Body">Tveit added, “We know also that Professor al-Tayyeb is committed to reinforcing the importance of the role of religious leaders as people who are committed to working for peace in our world. This will be the main focus of our discussions over the next two days.”&nbsp; Tveit added, “We are glad to welcome Professor al-Tayyeb and his companions to travel with us on the way that leads to just peace.“</p>
<p class="Body">Tveit underlined, “We appreciate very much his affirmation of the important relations between Muslims and Christians, in his own country Egypt, in the Middle East region and worldwide.“</p>
<p class="Body">Al-Tayyeb was chosen as Grand Imam of the Al Azhar mosque in Cairo 2010 and is an outspoken advocate for religious dialogue and peace as well as a strong critic of religious extremism. In early 2016, he made international news when he made an historic visit to the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis and also to Paris, France, six months after terrorist attacks there.</p>
<p class="Body">On Saturday 1 October at 4 p.m. CET, the Grand Imam will speak at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute on "The Responsibility of Religious Leaders for Achieving World Peace". The speech, in Arabic, will have simultaneous translation into French and English.</p>
<p class="Body">An expert in Islamic philosophy and law, al-Tayyeb espouses comprehensive reforms of religious education and is a frequent guest and influential speaker at consultations throughout the world on Islamic identity, combating terrorism, and dialogue for peace.</p>
<p class="Body">His visit will also include consultations with the leadership of the WCC’s Central Committee, including moderator Dr Agnes Abuom; vice-moderator Bishop Mary Ann Swenson; Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima, vice-moderator; and general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit as well as the General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, the Rev Dr Martin Junge.</p>
<p class="Body">The visit of the Grand Imam coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Ecumenical Institute at Château de Bossey, where thousands of women and men from all over the world have completed academic studies, seminars and conferences since its inauguration in 1946.</p>
<p class="Body"></p>
<p class="Body">*A recording of the lecture will be made available on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/worldcouncilofchurches" target="_blank">WCC YouTube channel</a> by 2 October.</p>
<p class="Body">* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p class="Body">* World Council of Churches <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en" title="http://www.oikoumene.org/en">http://www.oikoumene.org/en</a></p>
<p class="Body">[Ekk/4]</p>
<p class="Body"></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Beliefs and ValuesPeace and NonviolenceNews BriefChristian-Musliminterreligious dialoguepeacemakingwcc. world council of churchesWorld NewsFri, 30 Sep 2016 08:57:55 +0000agency reporter23461 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukRoman Catholic-WCC working group focus on peacebuilding and migrantshttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23436
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_end --><div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>Roman Catholic and World Council of Churches (WCC) representatives are forging new ways of working together on today’s most pressing issues.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p class="Body">Roman Catholic and World Council of Churches (WCC) representatives are forging new ways of working together on today’s most pressing issues.</p>
<p class="Body">The Joint Working Group (JWG) of the WCC and the Roman Catholic Church, held its latest annual meeting&nbsp; from 13 to 17 September 2016 at the Château de Bossey, Switzerland, is in its sixth decade, having been initiated in 1965.</p>
<p class="Body">The group monitors the collaboration of the two bodies in the areas of Faith and Order, mission and evangelism, justice and peace, ecumenical formation, and interreligious dialogue. The group has also jointly studied shared theological questions, such as reception of ecumenical work, and related social questions.</p>
<p class="Body">Increasingly JWG meetings advance not only the agenda of the working group itself but also the growing collaboration at the operational, programmatic level, with WCC programme staff working directly with Vatican dicasteries.</p>
<p class="Body">The JWG has decided to centre its work during this current, tenth phase on two specific areas: peacebuilding and dialogue in areas of conflict and the plight and prospects of migrants and refugees.</p>
<p class="Body">The areas align neatly with current missional priorities of Rome and the WCC’s pilgrimage of justice and peace.</p>
<p class="Body">In this iteration, the JWG, led by co-moderators Metropolitan Nifon of Târgovi?te, of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, the Primate of Ireland, is also exploring a new methodology, creating specific groups focused on the two main streams of its work.</p>
<p class="Body">The two groups are not simply to study the situations, said Archbishop Martin, but also to determine “what we can say to the parent bodies about opportunities for deepening engagement on these issues,” so that they will have real impact in the life of the church itself.</p>
<p class="Body">Metropolitan Nifon said, “In this way we hope not only to monitor the ecumenical collaboration of the churches at local and international levels, but also to encourage and recommend to our parent bodies, ways to facilitate its further development and evaluation."</p>
<p class="Body">Archbishop Martin echoed that affirmation: “The group was very pleased to note the level of working together between the offices of the WCC and their counterparts in the the dicasteries of the Roman Curia. The JWG's work in the coming years hopes to contribute towards a deepening of this ecumenical cooperation which is already underway.”</p>
<p class="Body">At the Bossey meeting, the newly formed groups also discussed the task, method and desired outcomes of their work together, for which co-coordinators of each (including a Roman Catholic and WCC representative) will be named this autumn. The groups will also draw on staff resources and outside expertise.</p>
<p class="Body">The papacy of Pope Francis has enlivened the JWG’s mandate. A highlight of the meeting has been exploring the confluence of the WCC’s chief programmatic aegis, the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, with the central writings of Pope Francis, specifically his apostolic exhortations Evangelii Gaudium and Amoris Laetitia, as well as his 2013 encyclical Laudato Si'.</p>
<p class="Body">While not a member church of the WCC, the Roman Catholic Church is deeply involved in the programmes, commissions, and initiatives of the WCC.</p>
<p class="Body">Presentations by WCC Associate General Secretary Isabel Phiri and other WCC staff explained the origins, shape and current programmatic configuration of the pilgrimage&nbsp; and analysed the shared commitments and convictions behind the pope’s writings and the pilgrimage, especially on meeting global economic and ecological challenges.</p>
<p class="Body">Other presentations detailed and analysed collaborative efforts in the areas of Faith and Order, mission, interreligious dialogue, migrants and refugees, peacebuilding, and international affairs.</p>
<p class="Body">Archbishop Martin offered a critical reflection on the exhortation Amoris Laetitia and its uniquely pastoral approach to the social, ethical, and spiritual realities of families today.</p>
<p class="Body">An underlying theme frequently emphasised in the presentations was the crucial character of discernment.&nbsp; Discernment by individuals as well as churches is critical to fostering deep conversion to the needs of others that underpins ecclesial work for justice and peace, said presenter the Rev John Crossin, Oblates of St. Francis De Sales, of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.</p>
<p class="Body">The WCC General Secretary, the&nbsp; Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, sees the growing relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the fellowship of churches of the WCC as a sign of hope, saying that hope is critical for people suffering the consequences of injustice, violence and war in so many places.</p>
<p class="Body">In his presentation to the JWG, Tveit&nbsp; shared with the group both the pain and encouraging experiences of new initiatives by churches, often in partnership with other faith communities, which he has seen in recent travels to Nigeria, Burundi, Brazil and the Middle East and of the efforts for peace in South Sudan.</p>
<p class="Body">In response to questions, Tveit underlined the importance of accompaniment and mutual accountability among the churches on their pilgrimage of justice and peace as an expression of the ecumenical movement: “The pilgrimage of justice and peace is a movement of hope that brings us to places where we can encounter each other on our journey and look for common understanding as human persons, as Christians, as churches.”</p>
<p class="Body">Tveit concluded, in view of the quality of relationships nurtured by the JWG, “May God bless your work because it is a blessing for us.”</p>
<p class="Body">The working group convened just as Christians around the world have been observing the annual World Day for Prayer for the Care of Creation, an ecumenical initiative of the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew, that has been embraced by Pope Francis and coincides with ecumenical participation in the monthlong ecumenical Season Creation. The morning and evening prayers of the group were built on these themes.</p>
<p class="Body"></p>
<p class="Body">* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p class="Body">* World Council of Churches <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en" title="http://www.oikoumene.org/en">http://www.oikoumene.org/en</a></p>
<p class="Body">[Ekk/4]</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Beliefs and ValuesPeace and NonviolenceNews Briefecumenisminterreligious dialoguemigrantspeace buildingroman catholic churchwcc. world council of churchesWorld NewsTue, 20 Sep 2016 08:45:20 +0000agency reporter23436 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukFaith leaders urge end to occupation in the Holy Landhttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23428
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_end --><div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>At a joint consultation on the Holy Land, the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA released a statement calling for an end to the denial of rights and generations of suffering in the Holy Land.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>At a joint consultation on the Holy Land, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA ( NCCCUSA) released a statement calling for an end to the denial of rights and generations of suffering in the Holy Land. </p>
<p class="Body">More than 60 representatives of churches and church-related organisations from around the world gathered 12-14 September in Virginia (USA) to discuss the unresolved conflict in Israel and Palestine.</p>
<p class="Body">“We have particularly valued the participation of Palestinian, Native American, and South African Christians who have shared their insights and lived experience,” the statement read.</p>
<p class="Body">Those gathered insisted that the cycle of violence must be broken. “We call for an end to the occupation and the illegal extension of settlements on occupied land, with all its grave and deteriorating dimensions for the Palestinian people, but also for Israel and the whole region beyond,” the statement read.</p>
<p class="Body"></p>
<p class="Body">* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p class="Body"></p>
<p class="Body">* Read the WCC/NCCCUSA statement <a target="_blank" href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/general-secretary/joint-declarations/statement-by-general-secretaries-rev-dr-olav-fykse-tveit-wcc-and-jim-winkler-ncccusa">here</a></p>
<p class="Body">* World Council of Churches <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en" title="http://www.oikoumene.org/en">http://www.oikoumene.org/en</a></p>
<p class="Body">* NCCCUSA <a href="https://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/north-america/united-states-of-america/nccc-usa" title="https://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/north-america/united-states-of-america/nccc-usa">https://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/north-america/united-states...</a></p>
<p class="Body">[Ekk/4]</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Beliefs and ValuesPeace and NonviolenceNews Briefholy landhuman rightsillegal settlementsIsrael PalestineOccupied Palestinian Territoriesviolencewcc. world council of churchesWorld NewsFri, 16 Sep 2016 08:19:25 +0000agency reporter23428 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukWCC General Secretary addresses global Pentecostal gathering http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23416
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_end --><div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>“We all sin against the Holy Spirit if we ignore climate change”, said the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, during the opening day of the 24th Pentecostal World Conference, in São Paulo, Brazil, on 7 September 2016.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>“We all sin against the Holy Spirit if we ignore climate change”, said the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), during the opening day of the 24th Pentecostal World Conference, in São Paulo, Brazil, on 7 September 2016.<strong> </strong></p>
<p class="Body">“We have to remind ourselves that the Holy Spirit is the life-giver, active in creation from the very beginning till today. The Holy Spirit sustain[s] us and all creatures every day”, he said.</p>
<p class="Body">“The world desperately needs people like you who believe in the transformative power of the Holy Spirit to invest in the future of the world for our children”, he added.</p>
<p class="Body">“As Pentecostals believing in the power of the Holy Spirit, I will invite you to receive the invitation issued by the Ecumenical Patriarch, Pope Francis, the General Secretary of the WCC and other ecumenical leaders to pray and care for God’s creation”, said Tveit at the Pentecostal World Fellowship (PWF) dinner, where he was invited by the Rev Dr Prince Guneratnam, chairman of the PWF, to bring greetings.</p>
<p class="Body">Representatives of the Global Christian Forum, World Evangelical Alliance, Pontifical Council to Promote Christian Unity and the Lutheran World Federation also addressed the global Pentecostal gathering.</p>
<p class="Body">“You have as Pentecostals been brave in your preaching that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a transformative message. You have been strongly emphasising that our faith is also to hope for more than what we can see just now”, affirmed the WCC General Secretary.</p>
<p class="Body">Tveit expressed gratitude for fostering a fruitful collaboration in Christ between the WCC and the PWF, “particularly through the Global Christian Forum, but also through your participation in our assembly in Busan.”</p>
<p class="Body">Like the PWF, the WCC was founded in the aftermath of World War II. For the past 15 years the WCC has maintained a platform for dialogue with Pentecostals.</p>
<p class="Body">“The joint consultative group has helped nurture our growing together in Christ. It will continue in the years ahead, examining how the Holy Spirit is working in the church to form disciples that transform the world”, said Tveit.</p>
<p class="Body">The Rev Dr Isak Burger, former PWF vice chairman, emphasised that “over the last ten years there was an increasing openness and acknowledgement of the greater value of the body of Christ; that, we as the Pentecostal movement, we are not the church, but we are part of the church”, he said.</p>
<p class="Body">Burger, who has been a member of the advisory committee of the PWF since 1993, also said that “the moments we have had here in São Paulo with representatives of the main ecumenical bodies are part of an ongoing process and a significant step to acknowledge the greater body of Christ”.</p>
<p class="Body">In his speech, Tveit also pointed to “a new era of mutual recognition” between the Pentecostal and the ecumenical movements, saying they are compelled by faith to walk together, pray together and serve together if they are to truly be an answer to Christ’s prayer “that all may be one, so the world might believe” (John 17:21).</p>
<p class="western">“I hope we will listen together to what the Spirit is calling us to become today. The churches in the world need to emphasise –</p>
<p class="Body">like you&nbsp;– more of our faith in the Holy Spirit. The world needs our faith in the Holy Spirit to believe that change to the better is possible”, Tveit noted.</p>
<p class="Body">“I ask you to search your hearts and minds, individually and together, to ask: How can we be partners with the Holy Spirit, creating and sustaining life in God’s Creation and in the Church?”, he asked.</p>
<p class="Body"></p>
<p class="Body">* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p class="Body">* World Council of Churches <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en" title="http://www.oikoumene.org/en">http://www.oikoumene.org/en</a></p>
<p class="Body">[Ekk/4]</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Beliefs and ValuesNews Briefclimate changecreation careHoly Spiritpentecostalswcc. world council of churchesWorld NewsMon, 12 Sep 2016 07:33:49 +0000agency reporter23416 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukWCC chief speaks on unity at World Methodist Conferencehttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23403
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_end --><div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>During the World Methodist Conference this week, the World Council of Churches General Secretary, the Rev&nbsp; Dr Olav Fykse Tveit invited his audience to explore with him how unity can transform the world.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>During the World Methodist Conference (WMC) this week, the World Council of Churches (WCC) General Secretary, the Rev&nbsp; Dr Olav Fykse Tveit invited his audience to explore with him how unity can transform the world.</p>
<p>Citing John 17, Tveit defined the gospel passage as not a call to prove that Christians can never disagree about anything but rather that faith in Christ is hope in God’s salvation and future.</p>
<p class="Body">Ultimately, he said, this kind of faith brings a unity that puts people collectively on a pilgrimage of justice and peace. “They all may be one so that the world may have hope”, he said.</p>
<p>Tveit spoke at an ecumenical dinner on 1 September 2016. The WMC is a global gathering of the Methodist-Wesleyan family held every five years in a different part of the world. This year marks the 21st WMC held in Houston, Texas, USA, under the theme 'One' and was organised around four sub themes: 'One God, One Faith, One People and One Mission'.</p>
<p>The passage in John 17, Tveit said, not only shows Christ praying that his community of disciples may be one in testament to relationship and love, but that in this oneness the gospel might profoundly transform the world. “If we were to consider the phrase in a slightly different way, ‘that they may be one that the world might have hope,’ how might our understanding of unity be deepened or changed?” he asked.</p>
<p class="Body">“I therefore pose the question: Are we united in hope?”</p>
<p class="Body">Certainly, Christians can and do disagree, he said. But they are called to be one so that the people of the world see a faith that becomes the hope of the world. “Hope is a criterion for what it means to be one in the faith in Jesus Christ,” he said.</p>
<p class="Body">What if we consider hope as a human right? All have a right to this hope, Tveit said, “it is not a hope only for me, or only for some.”</p>
<p class="Body">The WCC and its member churches have pledged to seek gifts enabling the fellowship, to discern the will of God, to teach together and to live sacrificially, serving one another’s needs and the world’s needs, he said, leading us to seek and cultivate hope. “This is how to live in unity and this is how to use unity to offer life-giving service in God’s world.”</p>
<p class="Body"></p>
<p class="Body">* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p class="Body">* World Council of Churches <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en" title="http://www.oikoumene.org/en">http://www.oikoumene.org/en</a></p>
<p class="Body">[Ekk/4]</p>
<p class="Body">&nbsp;</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Beliefs and ValuesNews Briefchristian unityhopejustice and peaceOlav Fyske Tveitwcc. world council of churchesWorld Methodist CouncilWorld NewsTue, 06 Sep 2016 07:54:47 +0000agency reporter23403 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukDay of worldwide 'Care of Creation' unites Christians http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23385
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_end --><div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p>On 1 September, churches worldwide will come together to celebrate the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and to observe the Season of Creation between that day and 4 October, a day for celebrating the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Many Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican organisations will join to encourage Christians worldwide to pray and act on ecological issues.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-type-text field-field-body">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item odd">
<p class="Body">On 1 September, churches worldwide will come together to celebrate the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and to observe the Season of Creation between that day and 4 October, a day for celebrating the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Many Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican organisations will join to encourage 2.2 billion Christians worldwide to pray and act on ecological issues next month.</p>
<p>“As Christians, we have hope. We believe God does not abandon creation and that we ourselves can become beacons of that hope by sowing the seeds of a different future”, said the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), in a video message calling upon Christians worldwide to pray together for “God’s beautiful work”.</p>
<p class="Body">In his message, Tveit also noted other actions that can be taken by those who join the prayers. “Let us call on our governments to ratify the Paris agreement; demand for alternative indicators of growth that better measure the health of the communities and the ecosystems. We can divest from fossil fuels and reinvest in sustainable alternatives”, he said.</p>
<p class="Body">The late Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I proclaimed 1 September as a day of prayer for the environment in 1989. The Orthodox church year starts that day with a commemoration of how God created the world. On 4 October, Roman Catholics and other churches from the Western traditions commemorate Francis of Assisi, known to many as the author of the&nbsp;Canticle of the Creatures.</p>
<p class="Body">The proposal to celebrate a time for creation during these five weeks was made by the&nbsp;Third European Ecumenical Assembly in Sibiu in 2007. The following year, the&nbsp;WCC Central Committee invited churches to observe time for creation through prayers and actions. In 2015, Pope Francis has designated 1 September as a World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation for the worldwide Roman Catholic Church as well.</p>
<p class="Body">The collaborative effort among the different traditions in 2016 encourages both prayer and action for creation. For this purpose, an ecumenical website has been developed under the address SeasonofCreation.org to be used as a hub for compiling resources and information about the campaign.</p>
<p class="Body">Participants are encouraged to engage in some kind of advocacy initiative as a way to bring their prayer into action. Additionally, a common advocacy effort will be pursued calling for the urgent signing and ratification of the Paris Agreement, while coinciding with the UN General Assembly.</p>
<p class="Body">“As the world continues to witness record-breaking heat, we Catholics need to respond to the dramatic call to action of the Holy Father in Laudato Si’”, said Tomás Insua, global coordinator of the Global Catholic Climate Movement. “And the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation is the perfect opportunity for Catholic parishes and communities to deepen their ecological engagement and join other Christians to take action during the Season of Creation.”</p>
<p class="Body">Individuals and communities are invited to organise prayer services celebrated at local levels which will be showcased on a global map to illustrate the scale of the collaboration. Individuals are also invited to participate online through Facebook events and Thunderclap campaigns to promote the #SeasonOfCreation hashtag.</p>
<p class="Body">The convening organisations leading the Season of Creation promotion efforts are: World Council of Churches, Anglican Communion Environmental Network, Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer), Global Catholic Climate Movement, ACT Alliance and GreenFaith.</p>
<p class="Body"></p>
<p class="Body">* More about the Season of Creation <a target="_blank" title="Season of Creation" href="http://www.webofcreation.org/SeasonofCreation/">here</a></p>
<p class="Body"></p>
<p class="Body">* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p class="Body">* World Council of Churches <a href="http://www.oikoumene.org/en" title="http://www.oikoumene.org/en">http://www.oikoumene.org/en</a></p>
<p class="Body"></p>
<p class="Body">[Ekk/4]</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Beliefs and ValuesNews Briefcreation careecologicalEnvironmentwcc. world council of churchesworld day of prayer for the care of creationWorld NewsTue, 30 Aug 2016 08:30:35 +0000agency reporter23385 at http://www.ekklesia.co.uk